How does your garden grow student project making a difference

It’s fair to say Year 12 student Mahdi Mohammadi has shown some real growth in 2024.

As part of his SACE Stage 2 Spiritualities, Religion and Meaning subject, Mahdi created a portable native garden with dozens of plant species, each with an important role to play in the environment.

Among them were the everlasting daisy (rhodanthe chlorocephala), a pollinator for the native blue-banded bee, common tussock grass (poa labillardierei), a habitat and food source for the blue wren, and kangaroo paw (anigozanthos), a perch and pollinator for the wattle bird.

Year 12 student Mahdi Mohammadi shows Mr Allwood’s Year 5/6 students the portable native garden he created as part of his studies.

Mahdi – who created the planter predominantly from recycled material – also worked with Trent Allwood’s Year 5/6 students over several weeks to teach them about the importance of biodiversity and sustainability.

“I just thought that the best thing I could do was teach them (the Year 5/6 students) how to apply this to their own lives,” said Mahdi, who has a garden full of native plants at home.

“To make a really big impact, you must teach them young. So, if I teach the Year 5/6s, then biodiversity and sustainability might become a family thing for them.”

The seedlings grown by the Year 5/6 students.

As part of the sessions, Mahdi gave each student in Mr Allwood’s class four seeds, which, under this guidance, they nurtured to seedlings and, today, will take home.

“The response from the Primary boys was great. Way better than I expected!” Mahdi said.

“I went in every day to check (the plants) and they boys were so engaged. They even had seed monitors.

“I explained to them that all it takes is a little bit from everyone to make a massive impact. As long as they do it, and pass it on to other people, it will be amazing. It will help a lot.”

Mahdi takes Mr Allwood’s class through a biodiversity Kahoot.

Blackfriars Assistant Principal: Religious Identity and Mission Angela Collins, who is also Mahdi’s Year 12 Spiritualities, Religion and Meaning teacher, said the subject was designed to get students thinking about their role in the world.

“What Mahdi has created here is very special,” Ms Collins said.

This week is the final week of school for the Class of 2024. Year 12 exams begin on 29 October (Japanese) and continue until 15 November.